Former RIAA defendant suing RIAA

Three cheers for Tanya Anderson, a 42-year-old disabled mom who refused to sit quietly when the RIAA attempted to shake her down for money after accusing her of illegally downloading music. After the suit against her was dismissed with prejudice, she turned around and filed a 13-count civil suit against the RIAA and the major labels.

You may remember Andersen as the single mother who was accused of illegally downloaded music through peer to peer networks. After a two-year legal battle, she forced the RIAA to dismiss the case with prejudice. Now, with the help of the attorneys at Lybeck and Murphy, Andersen is turning this into a classic case of "hunter becoming the hunted" by suing for direct and punitive damages.

In addition to suing the RIAA, Andersen is targeting Atlantic Recording, Priority Records, Capital Records, UMG Recordings and BMG Music. She is also naming Media Sentry and RIAA’s Settlement Support Center as defendants. Andersen’s lawyers are hitting the defendants with the full power of the Computer Fraud and Abuse Act and federal and state RICO (Racketeer Influenced and Corruption Act), something that is often used against mafia and street gang members.